1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a structure mounting a roof molding on a vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional roof of a motor vehicle includes a structure in which a groove portion extending along a longitudinal direction of a vehicle is formed between a roof panel and a side outer panel and a roof molding for ornament is mounted in an inner portion of the groove portion (refer to Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-76886 as a similar art).
The groove portion has an inverse structure in which right and left wall portions are inclined inward to each other. Respective bottom surface portions of the roof panel and the side outer panel are bonded to each other according to a spot welding or a laser welding. A paint seal for waterproofing is also applied to the bottom surface of the groove portion. In the case of the laser welding, a laser trail is generated on the bottom surface of the groove portion. Therefore, the particularly thick paint seal needs to be applied to a whole of the bottom surface of the groove portion.
The roof molding is an extrusion-molded product formed by an elastic member such as a rubber or the like. The roof molding is provided with a head portion positioned in an upper side of the groove portion, a pair of main lips being elastically in contact with right and left wall portions in a lower side of the head portion, and a leg portion brought into contact with the bottom surface of the groove portion. The head portion forms an ornamental design surface in the case of viewing the groove portion from the above. The main lip generates a holding force within the groove portion, and holds an attitude of the roof molding in a lateral direction. The leg portion restricts a vertical position of the roof molding within the groove portion. The leg portion has a solid convex shape, is formed downward from the roof molding, and has the same elastic hardness as a main body of the roof molding.
However, in the conventional art, in the case that a dispersion of a depth of the groove portion is generated due to an error in forming the groove portion, an error in a thickness of the paint seal application layer or the like, since the leg portion of the roof molding brought into contact with the bottom surface of the groove portion is solid and has a predetermined elastic hardness, the dispersion of the depth of the groove portion is also generated at upper and lower positions of the roof molding. As a result, the head portion surface of the roof molding becomes wavy in the longitudinal direction, thereby causing a reduction of outer appearance of the vehicle.
The groove portion has the inverse structure, so that the elastically contact position of the main lip with the wall portion varies when the dispersion is generated at the upper and lower positions of the roof molding. The elastically contact position of the main lip with the wall portion varies to a narrow upper side, then the main lip needs to elastically contact with the wall portion in a very close state. There is a risk that the roof molding floats up more than necessary due to a surplus reaction force generated by the above-described forced elastic contact.
An object of the present invention is to provide a structure mounting a roof molding on a vehicle, which can mount a roof molding at a predetermined height along a longitudinal direction of the vehicle.
The first aspect of this invention provides a structure mounting a roof molding on a vehicle, comprising: (a) a groove portion arranged between both right and left end portions of a roof panel and a side outer panel, in which a wall portion of the roof panel and a wall portion of the side outer panel are inclined inward and opposed to each other, a bottom surface thereof is formed by a method that a bottom surface portion of the roof panel and a bottom surface portion of the side outer panel are bonded, and formed along a longitudinal direction of the vehicle, the groove portion comprising: a first wall portion constituting a left wall surface of the groove portion; and a second wall portion opposing to the left wall surface of the groove portion and constituting a right wall surface of the groove portion, and (b) a roof molding arranged within the groove portion, comprising: a head portion positioned in an upper side of the groove portion; a main lip that a front end portion thereof elastically contacts with at least one of the first wall portion and the second wall portion in a lower side of the head portion; and a downward leg portion brought into contact with the bottom surface of the groove portion, wherein the roof molding is formed along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and the leg portion includes a hollow portion having an elastically deformable structure in a vertical direction of the groove portion.